5 ways Kenyans have turned mabati cup into a survival tool

If you grew up in a Kenyan home, chances are you've encountered the legendary mabati cup. You know the one—shiny enamel, slightly chipped, and usually labelled 'Grandma’s Cup' because she’d serve you uji in it, and you had no choice but to finish every last drop.

But beyond holding tea and porridge, Kenyans have confessed to using this cup in the most unexpected ways.

This nostalgia kicked in after Pulse Live Kenya shared a video of someone casually cooking with a line-up of mabati cups on a fire, then expertly transferring the food onto a plate.

The comment section? Pure gold. Turns out, this cup isn’t just for drinking, it’s a survival tool!

Here are five real-life ways Kenyans have actually used the mabati cup:

The ‘Sufuria’ you never knew you had

You've seen it for yourself in the video—this mabati cup is basically a sufuria, hehe! Fans in the comments couldn’t agree more, sharing their own experiences of using it for the same purpose.

One even joked that the cup might actually be a sufuria in disguise, judging by the way it once burnt his lips.

The emergency Iron Box

Before steam irons became a thing, some Kenyans had already mastered the art of improvisation.

A mabati cup, some heat, hot water, and a thick cloth were all it took to turn a wrinkled mess into something presentable

They’d heat the cup up, of fill it with hot water, cover it with a thick cloth, and press away the wrinkles.

Not the safest method, but definitely a lifesaver when the alternative was showing up looking like a crumpled receipt.

The blow dryer

This is the ultimate old-school blow-dry technique! First, the mabati cup is heated over a flame, then gently pressed and slid along the hair to transfer the warmth.

The process isn’t complete without a layer of hair oil, after which the cup makes a final round to seal in the shine.

It’s usually a two-person job—one handling the cup while the other sits patiently, trusting the ‘stylist’ not to overheat the tool.

Traditional beverage cooler

Back in the day, before fridges were a household staple, some people found a clever way to keep their drinks cool.

Placing a mabati cup in a shallow basin of water, the slow evaporation process would naturally lower the temperature of whatever was inside.

In short, before refrigerators were common, this was the low-budget version of a mini fridge.

Just a regular cup

Let’s not forget its OG purpose. This cup has held litres of scalding-hot tea that no child dared to complain about.

It’s the cup that carried thick uji that you had to drink whether you liked it or not because Grandma was watching.

In fact, some people in the comments admitted that just seeing the cup again gave them childhood flashbacks.